Gleaning pieces of the history of Japanese Canadians
I will highlight little-known pieces of the history of Japanese Canadians and introduce books and papers on the subject in this blog.
日系カナダ人の歴史の断片を拾い集める
このブログでは、日系カナダ人の歴史の中であまり知られていない事柄を取り上げ、また、このテーマに関する書籍や論文を紹介していきます。
カナダ農業移住訓練制度は、1960年代のカナダの農業労働力不足と日本の農村青年の海外志向を背景に始まり、2年間の農業実習を通じて移
住者育成を目指した。しかし実態は長時間労働の「ファーム・ヘルパー」で、訓練と移住の目的の不一致、過酷な労働条件、日系二世農家との文化的摩擦が問題となった。報告書では「多くの青年は近代農業を学ぶ夢を抱いたが、実際には重労働で語学習得の余裕もなかった」とされ、制度は1977年に中断した。
The Canadian Agricultural Training and Migration Program began in response to Canada’s farm labor shortage and Japan’s youth seeking overseas opportunities. Although designed to train future immigrants, the reality was long hours of simple labor as “farm helpers,” creating a gap between expectations and actual conditions. Cultural friction also arose between trainees and mainly Nisei farm owners. According to the report, “many youths dreamed of learning modern agriculture, but in reality had no time for language study due to heavy labor.” The program faced structural problems and was effectively discontinued in 1977.
レイモンド近くのテンサイ農地 1941年
アルバータ州南部のテンサイ産業は、1900年代初頭にモルモン教徒ジェシー・ナイトの製糖工場建設を契機に始まり、過酷な労働を担う安定した労働力として日本人移民が1903年以降に導入された。彼らは写真結婚を通じて定住し、農地取得と農業経営によって自立を進めた。戦前にはレイモンドやハーディビルに強固な日系社会が形成され、仏教会や協会が精神的・社会的支柱となった。1942年の強制移住では約2,250人がテンサイ農場に送られ、劣悪な住環境と重労働に耐えながら家族の生存を支えた。戦後、多くが地域に残り農業を発展させ、ジャガイモ栽培などへ多角化し、南アルバータの農業基盤を支える存在となった。
The sugar beet industry in southern Alberta began in the early 1900s with the construction of a sugar factory by Mormon entrepreneur Jesse Knight, and from 1903 onward Japanese immigrants were brought in as a stable workforce capable of enduring the harsh labour. They settled through picture marriages and pursued independence by acquiring farmland and developing their own agricultural operations. Before the war, strong Japanese Canadian communities had formed in Raymond and Hardieville, with Buddhist temples and associations serving as spiritual and social anchors. During the forced relocation of 1942, about 2,250 people were sent to sugar beet farms, where they supported their families while enduring poor living conditions and exhausting labour. After the war, many remained in the region, expanded their farming activities, diversified into crops such as potatoes, and became an essential part of southern Alberta’s agricultural foundation.
国会議事堂前のリドレス・ラリー（1988年）
Japanese Canadian Redress Rally on Parliament Hill (1988)
日系カナダ人の権力に対する抵抗の歴史
太平洋戦争終了後、日本に追放され、またはカナダ各地に分散させられた日系カナダ人は、新しい土地で生活の再建に取り組んだ。そして、1970年代に至るまで、政治に無関心で、自分たちの人種差別政策の経験について口をつぐんでいた。このため、日系カナダ人は権力に従順に従う人たちであると、カナダ人、そして日系カナダ人の一部に思われてきた。しかし、日系カナダ人の歴史は、様々な権力に対する抵抗で彩られている。本稿は、日系カナダ人の権力に対する抵抗の事例を歴史的に列挙したものである。
The History of Japanese Canadian Resistance to Authority
After the end of the Pacific War, Japanese Canadians—who had been deported to Japan or dispersed across Canada—set about rebuilding their lives in their new homes. Until the 1970s, they remained apathetic towards politics and kept silent about their history of racial discrimination. Consequently, both Canadians and some Japanese Canadians came to view them as a people who meekly submitted to authority. However, the history of Japanese Canadians is marked by various forms of resistance against authority. This article provides a historical overview of instances of Japanese Canadian resistance to authority.
The individuals pictured, from left to right, are:
Takaichi Umezuki (far left, with pipe): The prominent Issei journalist who served as the editor of the newspaper's Japanese-language section.
Miss K. (Kasey) Oyama (seated at the desk, looking forward): A core member of the editorial staff who later took over as editor-in-chief of the publication in 1945.
Thomas (Tom) Shoyama (seated in the background, smiling): A writer and high school graduate who was released from the Yard Creek road camp in August 1943 to join the team as the assistant English editor.
Frank Moritsugu (foreground right, with suspenders, working with news copy): The highly influential editor-in-chief of The New Canadian from 1939 to 1945, who later went on to a distinguished career as a top-ranking Canadian federal public servant.
Junji Ikeno (standing far right): The team's skilled linotypist who meticulously set the newspaper's print type using the printing press next door at The Kootenaian.
The New Canadian and the Japanese Canadian Community
The history of the Japanese Canadian press is a profound reflection of the community’s broader struggle for identity, civil rights, and survival in the face of systemic racism and state-sponsored oppression. From the bustling, ideologically fractured streets of Vancouver’s Japantown in the 1930s to the isolated internment camps of the Second World War, and finally to the post-war diaspora across Canada, Japanese-language and bilingual newspapers served as vital lifelines. These publications evolved from fiercely competitive ideological battlegrounds into co-opted instruments of state survival and, ultimately, into essential community service agencies. By examining the trajectories of major publications?most notably The New Canadian under the leadership of Tom Shoyama?we can trace the profound demographic, political, and cultural shifts within the Japanese Canadian community throughout the twentieth century.
これは、新保満、田村紀雄、白水重彦共著、「カナダの日本語新聞」（東京：PMC出版株式会社、1991年）のニュー・カナディアン新聞に関する項目の要約です。
東京のカナダ大使館
Canadian Embassy in Tokyo
日系カナダ人の日本追放とカナダ帰還
1946年に日本へ追放された日系カナダ人3,964人の多くは、荒廃した日本で深刻な貧困と社会的疎外に直面し、再びカナダへ戻る道を模索した。資料は「多くの二世にとって、日本での滞在は恒久的な帰国ではなく、やむを得ない離散であることを痛感させた」と述べ、帰還への強い動機を示す。帰国には出生による市民権の明確化、SCAPでの軍事雇用による資金調達、家族や民間団体によるスポンサーシップ、第三国経由の進学など複数のルートがあった。しかし政府は「帰国する日系カナダ人に対して、いかなる財政援助や渡航補助も提供することを拒否した」とされ、旅費・手数料・健康診断まで自己負担で、帰還は困難を極めた。1950〜60年代にかけて段階的な帰国が進み、家族が長期に分断される例も多かった。1988年、カナダ政府は公式謝罪と補償を行い、市民権の回復を認めた。追放と帰還の歴史は、差別的政策への抵抗と市民権保護の強化につながった。数人のカナダ帰還例を提示する。
From Exile to Return: The Postwar Repatriation and Resettlement of Japanese Canadians
After being deported to Japan in 1946, many Japanese Canadians faced poverty, social isolation, and the collapse of basic infrastructure. These harsh conditions strengthened their determination to return to Canada. As the document notes, “for many Nisei, their stay in Japan was not a permanent return but an unavoidable exile,” highlighting their motivation to go back. Return routes included clarifying birthright citizenship, earning money through SCAP employment, securing family or private sponsorship, and pursuing education via third countries. The Canadian government, however, “refused to provide any financial assistance or travel support,” forcing deportees to cover all costs themselves. Through the 1950s and 60s, many returned gradually, often splitting families for years. In 1988, the government issued an official apology and restored citizenship. Their struggle to return became a symbol of resistance to discriminatory policies and helped strengthen citizenship protections in Canada. The text includes several personal experiences of returning to Canada.